Parallel
by magic10
Summary: The Opal Deception quote: “I want you to suffer as I did, discredited and despised. One of you at least – the other will have to be sacrificed. I don’t really care which.” Holly dies Root lives. Watch as this story moves further away from the origin.
1. Chapter 1

AN - Opal said in The Opal Deception that either Holly or Root could have died; she didn't care which. In this story, Root lived and Holly died. The story starts off pretty much the same as that in the book but moves further part as the story goes on. I'm going to rewrite the whole of The Opal Deception and may possibly do the other books as well. Please tell me what you think.

The first part of the story, in italics, is taken from the book. This first chapter is very like the original but later chapters will be very different.

Disclaimer- I don't own anything but I wish I did.

* * *

Parallel

_Root pointed his weapon at the device round Scalene's middle, as if he could somehow hurt Koboi._

'_What do you want?' he demanded._

'_You know what I want,' replied Opal. 'The question is, how am I going to get it? What form of revenge would be the most satisfying? Naturally, you will both end up dead, but that's not enough. I want you to suffer as I did, discredited and despised. One of you at least – the other will have to be sacrificed. I don't really care which.'_

_Root retreated to the blast doors, motioning for Holly to follow._

'_Options?' he whispered, his back to Koboi's device._

_Holly raised her visor, wiping a bead of sweat from her brow. The helmets were air conditioned, but sometimes sweating had nothing to do with temperature._

'_We have to get out of here,' she said. 'The chute is the only way.'_

_Root nodded. 'Agreed. We fly up far enough to clear Koboi's blocker signal, then alert Major Kelp.'_

'_What about Scalene? He's mesmerized to the gills, he can't look after himself. If we do escape, Opal is not going to leave him around as evidence.'_

_It was basic criminal logic. Your typical 'take over the world' types were not averse to knocking off a few of their own if it meant a clean getaway._

Root actually growled. 'It really tugs my beard to put us in harm's way over a goblin, but that's the job. We take Scalene with us. I will sink a few charges into that box round his waist, and when the buzzing stops you throw him over your shoulder and we're off up E37.'

'Understood,' said Holly. Root lowered the setting on his weapon to minimum. Some of the charge would be transferred to Scalene, but it wouldn't do much more than dry up his eyeballs for a couple of minutes which, in Root's opinion, he deserved.

'Ignore the pixie, whatever she says, keep your mind on the job.'

'Yes sir.'

Root took several deep breaths calming himself. Holly looked as nervous as he felt. 'OK. Go.'

The two elves turned and strode rapidly towards the unconscious goblin.

'Have we come up with a little plan?' said Kobo mockingly from the small screen 'Something ingenious, I hope. Something I haven't thought of?'

Grim-faced, Root tried to shut out the words, but they wormed their way into his thoughts. Something ingenious? Hardly. It was simply the only option open to them. Something Koboi hadn't thought of? Doubtful. Opal could conceivably have been planning this for almost a year. Were they just about to do exactly what she wanted? Was he putting his officer in more danger?

Root silenced his doubts and got into position beside Scalene. He thought he heard Holly say 'Sir' quietly as he began firing but he may have imagined it. He fired six charges at the small screen. All six impacted on Koboi's pixelated features. Root felt a surge pleasure as Opal's image disappeared in a storm of static. Sparks squeezed between the metal seams and acrid smoke leaked through the speaker grid.

Holly hesitated for a moment, allowing any charge to disperse, then she grabbed Scalene firmly by the shoulders.

Nothing happened.

_I was wrong_, thought Root, releasing a breath he did not realize he'd been holding. _I was wrong, thank the gods. Opal has no plan._ But it wasn't true, and Root didn't really believe it.

The box around Scalene's midriff was secured by a set of octo-bonds, eight telescoping cables often used by the LEP to restrain dangerous criminals. They could be locked and unlocked remotely and, once cinched, could not be removed without the remote or an angle grinder. As soon as Holly leaned over, the octo-bonds, released Scalene and drawing the metal box tight to Holly's own chest.

Koboi's face appeared on the reverse side of the box. The smokescreen had been just that: a smokescreen.

'Captain Short,' she said, almost breathless with malice, 'it looks like you're the sacrifice.'

'D'Arvit!' swore Holly beating the metal box with the butt of her pistol. The cords tightened until Holly's breath come in agonized spurts. Root heard more than one rib crack. Holly fought the urge to sink to her feet. Magical blue sparks played around her torso, automatically healing the broken bones.

Root rushed forward to help. This was his fault. They should never have come down here. _He_ should have been the one to pike up Scalene; not Holly. He would find a way to save his officer. However, before he could reach Holly, an urgent beeping began to emanate from the device's speaker. The closer he got, the louder the beep.

'D'Arvit,' swore Root, skidding to a stop, 'a trigger!' He punched the air in frustration. Trust Koboi to use something like a proximity trigger to stop him helping Holly. Proximity triggers were used by dwarves in the mines. They would set a charge in the tunnels, activate the trigger and then set it off from a safe distance, using a stone.

'You're quite right, Julius,' commented the pixie, 'This is a moment for caution. The tone you hear is indeed a proximity trigger. If you come too close, she will be vaporized by the explosive gel packed into the metal box.'

'Shut up Opal and tell us what you want,' snapped Holly. Even when her life was in danger, Holly never lost her sharp tongue.

'Now, now, Holly. Patience. Your worries will be over soon enough. In fact, they are already over, so why don't you just wait quietly while your final seconds tick away.'

Root circled Holly, keeping the beep constant, until her back was to the chute.

'There's a way out of this, Holly,' he said, calling her by her first name for once, the way he always thought of her in his head, 'I just need to think. I need a minute to sort things out.'

'Let me help you to _sort things out,_' said Koboi mockingly, her childlike features ugly with malice. 'Your LEP comrades are currently trying to laser their way in here, but of course they will never make it in time. And you can bet that my old school chum, Foaly, is glued to his video screen. So what does he see? He sees the decretive Commander Root holding a gun on his good friend Holly Short. Now why would he want to do that?'

'Foaly will figure it out,' said Holly. 'He beat you before.'

Opal tightened the octo-bonds remotely, forcing Holly to her knees. 'Maybe he _would_ figure it out, at that. If he had time. But unfortunately for you, time is almost up.'

On Holly's chest, a digital readout flickered into life. There were two numbers on the readout; a six and a zero. 60 seconds.

'One minute to live, Holly. How does it feel?' sneered Opal. The numbers began ticking down. The ticking, beeping and Opal's snide sniggers drilled into Root's brain.

'Shut it down, Koboi. Shut it down, or I swear I'll…'

Opal's laugh was unrestrained, echoing through the access tunnel like the attacked screech of a harpie.

'You will _what_, exactly? Die beside your officer?' More cracks, more ribs broken. The blue spots of magic circled Holly's chest like stars caught in a whirlwind.

'Get out, sir,' she gasped, 'There's no need for both of us to die.'

'No Holly; we'll get out of this together. This isn't over yet.'

'Forty-eight,' said Opal, in a happy, sing-song voice, 'Forty-seven.'

'Julius, run!'

'I'd listen, if I were you," said Koboi, 'There are other lives at stake here. Holly is already dead. Why not save someone who _can_ be saved?'

Root's head spun. Who else was in danger? How could he save everyone? Holly groaned, instantly forgetting her own troubles.

'What have you done, Opal?' cried Holly, 'Who else's life is in danger?'

'Oh, no-one important. Just a couple of Mud Men.'

_Of course, _thought Root, _Artemis and Butler. Two others who put a stop to Koibe's plan. _Root had no love for those particular Mud Men, especially Artemis, but he immediately determined to try and save them from whatever Opal was planning. He knew his face was burning red with anger at what Opal had done.

'What have you done, Opal?' said Holly, shouting above the proximity trigger and the core wind. A part of Root noted that she seemed more upset about the danger the Mud Men were in than the threat of immediate death she was facing.

Koibe's lip drooped, mimicking a guilty child.

'I'm afraid I may have put your human friends in danger. At this very moment, they are stealing a package from the International Bank in Munich. A little package _I_ prepared for them. If Master Fowl is as clever as he is supposed to be, he won't open the package until he reaches the Kronski Hotel and can check for booby checks. Then, a bio-bomb will be activated and "bye bye obnoxious humans!" You can stay here and explain all of this, Julius. I'm sure it won't take more than a couple of hours to sort it out within Internal Affairs, or you can try to rescue the humans.'

Root's head was reeling. Holly, Artemis and Butler; all about to die. How could he save them all? There was no way to win.

'I will hunt you down, Koibe. I will bring you to justice. For you, there won't be safe place on, or under, the planet.'

'Such venom. What if I gave you a way out? One chance to win?'

Holly was on her knees now, blood leaking from the corner of her mouth. The blue sparks were gone. She was out of magic.

'It's a trap!" she gasped, every syllable causing her pain, 'Don't let her fool you. Get out while you can, and try and save Artemis and Butler for me.'

"Twenty-eight," said Koibe, "Twenty-seven.'

Root's forehead throbbed against the helmet pads. He knew it was probably a trap. Opal would never offer him a way out, but what choice did he have?

'OK. OK, Koibe. Tell me quickly. How do I save Holly?'

Opal took a deep, theatrical breath.

'On the device, there a sweet spot. Two centimetre diameter. The red dot below the screen. If you hit that spot from outside the trigger area, then you overload the circuit. If you miss, even by a hair, you'll set off the explosive gel. It's a sporting chance… More than you gave me, Julius Root," she said, her eyes narrowing to angry slits.

'You're lying,' snapped Root, through gritted teeth, 'You'd never give me a chance.'

'Don't take the shot,' said Holly, strangely calm, 'Just get out of range. Go and save Artemis and the People from Koibe. Don't let her win, Julius.'

Root felt as though his senses were being filtered through a metre of water. Everything was blurring and slowing down.

'I don't have a choice, Holly. And how many times have I told you _not_ to call me Julius? When we are both safe, you'll refer to me as Commander Root. But I'll let it slide this once,' he said, managing a small smile, despite the situation. Holly smiled back.

'You know me. I never listen to orders but I must have done something right, otherwise you wouldn't have put me forward to a major. Seriously though, get out sir. The People need you.'

Root closed one eye and aimed his pistol. The laser sights were no good for this kind of accuracy; even Foaly hadn't managed to make them _that_ accurate yet. He would have to do it manually.

'The People need you too. We're getting out of this together. Then we'll save Artemis, I promise.' He took a deep breath, held it and squeezed the trigger.

Root hit the red spot; he was certain of it. The charge sank into the device, spreading across the metal face like a tiny bushfire.

'I hit it!' he yelled at Opal's image, 'I hit the spot!'

'I don't know. I thought you were a fraction low,' Koibe shrugged, 'Hard luck. I mean that sincerely.'

'No!' screamed Root, and, for the first time in years, he felt tears prick his eyes.

The countdown on Holly's chest flickered faster than before, flicking through the numbers. There were only moments left now. Holly struggled to her feet, raising to visor on her helmet. Her eyes were steady and fearless. She smiled gently at the Commander, a smile that laid no blame, despite the terrible guilt he felt.

'Be well,' she said. An orange flame then blossomed in the centre of her chest.

* * *

The explosion sucked the air from the tunnel, feeding on the oxygen. Multi-coloured flames rolled like the plumage of battling birds. Root was shunted backwards by a wall of shockwaves, the force impacting on every surface inch facing Holly. The microfilters blew in his suit as they were overloaded with heat and force. The camera cylinder in his helmet popped right out of its groove, spinning into E37.

Root himself was borne bodily into the chute, spinning like a twig in a cyclone. Sonix spongers in his earpieces sealed automatically as the sound of the explosion caught up with the blast. Holly was disappeared within a ball of flame. She was gone. There was no doubt about it. Even magic couldn't help her now; some things were beyond fixing.

The contents of the exit tunnel, including Holly and Scalene, disintegrated into a cloud of shrapnel and dust, the particles ricocheting off the tunnel walls. The cloud surged down the path of least resistance, which was, of course, directly after Root. He barely had time to activate his wings and climb a few metres before flying shrapnel drilled a hole in the chute wall below him.

Root hovered in the vast tunnel, the sound of his own breathing filling his helmet. Holly was dead. It was unbelievable; just like that, on the whim of a vengeful pixie. Had there been a sweet spot on the device, or had he actually missed the target? He would probably never know but to the LEP observers, it would seem as though he had shot his own officer.

Root glanced downwards. Below him, fragments from the explosion were spiralling towards the Earth's core. As they neared the revolving magma sphere, the heat ignited each one, utterly cremating all that was left of Holy Short. For the briefest moment, the particles twinkled gold and bronze, like a million starts falling to Earth.

Root hung there for several minutes, trying to absorb what had happened. He couldn't. It was too awful. Instead, he froze the pain and guilt, preserving it for later. Right now, he had a promise to keep and he would keep it, even if was the last thing he ever did, because it was the last thing Holly Short would ever ask.

Root increased the power to his wings, rising through the massive charge chute. There were Mud Men to be saved.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN- ****Opal said in The Opal Deception that either Holly or Root could have died; she didn't care which. In this story, Root lived and Holly died. The story starts off pretty much the same as that in the book but moves further apart as the story goes on. I'm going to rewrite the whole of The Opal Deception and may possibly do the other books as well. Please tell me what you think.**

**This chapter starts to move farther apart from the original story.**

**Disclaimer: See chapter one. Nobody cares about disclaimers anyway!**

* * *

**Munich**

Butler must be unconscious or else he would be moving, so it was up to Artemis to foil their attacker's next murderous attempt. He tried to sit up, but the pain in his chest was ferocious and enough to knock him out for a second. When he awoke, his entire body was slick with sweat. Artemis saw that it was too late to escape; his assassin was already here, crouched and catlike next to him.

The killer was a strange individual, no bigger than a child but with adult proportions. He was male, rather chubby and had a red face. The thing that was most noticeable about him, however, was the fact that he was covered in blood. The blood covered his right hand and was splattered across jumpsuit he wearing. He appeared to be unhurt himself witch meant the blood belonged to someone else; another victim perhaps? The attacker reached out the hand covered in blood towards Artemis' chest. Artemis' heart sped up in fear. He did not even have time to move before blue sparks travelled from the killers hand and sunk into his body.

Artemis' last thought, before he gave up the fight to stay conscious was, was _his ears are pointed and he can make blue sparks appear. Either I'm in shock, or he's not human._ After that he knew no more.

* * *

It had taken Root almost ninety minutes to reach Germany. On a normal mission, it would have taken at least twice that long, but Root had decided to break a few LEP regulations. If one of his officers had tried a stunt like this, he would have them on Swear Toad duty for a month. However, desperate times called for desperate measures he reasoned. It wasn't as if it made any difference at this point. The LEP already thought he had killed his own officer and then made a run for it. His communications were blocked so he could not explain what had really happened. No doubt he was classified as rogue and a Retrieval squad was already on his tail. They probably thought he had gone rogue like his brother. Not to mention the fact that Opal Koboi was probably keeping electronic tabs on him… so there was no time to lose.

Ever since the goblin gangs had been caught smuggling human contraband though disused chutes, sentries had been posted in each surface shuttle port. Paris was guarded by a sleepy gnome who was only five years from retirement. He was awakened from his afternoon nap by an urgent communiqué from Police Plaza. There was a rogue Commander on the way up. Detain for questioning. Proceed with caution.

Nobody really expected that the gnome would have any success. Root had been the youngest LEP commander ever. He had also run more successful operations than anyone else. The gnome had to lie down if he got a hangnail. Nevertheless, the sentry guarded the shuttle bay gamely until Root blew past him on the way to the surface.

Once in the air, he peeled back a Velcro patch on his forearm and ran a search on his computer. The computer found the Kronski Hotel and flashed up three route options. Root chose the shortest one, even though it meant passing over several major human population centres, meaning more LEP regulations smashed to bits. By now, he really didn't care.

The earth flashed by below. European smells drifted though his helmet filters. The sea, baked earth, vines and the tang of pure snow. Generally, Root lived for moments like this. He rarely got to go above ground himself and normally jumped at the chance. Today he simply felt alone and empty. Holly was dead. Despite the harsh way he had almost always treated her, he had been very fond of her. He would never have admitted it to her but he had thought of her as family. She had been strong, brave, independent and loyal… often causing as much trouble as she solved but most of all she had been a good person. He had always secretly thought that she would, one day, become a commander and he could retire in the knowledge that the People were in safe hands. None of that would happen now and it was all his fault. Not only had he led her into a trap he may also have effectively killed her by missing that shot. Had there been a sweet spot? Had he as good as put a gun to her head and shot her? It was too awful to think about, and too awful to forget.

In a little more than an hour, Root sped into Munich's airspace. He dropped to thirty metres, activating his helmet's radar. It would be a shame to make it this far, only to be pasted by an incoming aircraft. The Kronski showed up as a red dot in his visor. Foaly could have sent a live satellite feed, or at least the most recent video footage, but he had no way to contact the annoying centaur – and even if he did, the Council would order him back to Police Plaza immediately.

Root zeroed in on the red dot in his visor. That was where the bio-bomb would be headed, so he had to go there too. He dropped lower until the Kronski's roof was just under his toes and then touched down on the rooftop. He was on his own now. This was as far as the on-board tracker could take him. He would have to locate Artemis' room on his own.

Root typed a command into the keypad on his wrist. He could have used voice command, but the software was touchy, despite Foaly's clam that it was just fairy error and he did not have time to sort out computer problems. In seconds, his on-board computer had hacked into the hotel computer and was displaying a guest list and schematic. Artemis was in room 304. Third storey on the south wing of the hotel.

Root sprinted across the roof, activating his wings as he ran. He was seconds away from saving Artemis and Butler. Having a mythological creature drag them from their hotel room might be a bit of a shock, but not as much of a shock as being vaporized by a bio-bomb.

He stopped dead. A guided missile was arcing in from the horizon, towards the hotel. It was of fairy manufacture, no doubt about that, but new. Slicker and faster, with bigger tail rockets than he'd ever seen on a missile. Opal Koboi had obviously been making upgrades.

Root spun on his heels, racing for the other side of the hotel. In his heart he knew he was too late, and the realization hit him that Opal had set him up again. There never was any hope of rescuing Artemis, just as there had never been any chance of rescuing Holly.

Root dropped to his knees in frustration, peeling off his helmet to gulp in breaths of fresh air. The Munich air was laced with toxins, but it still tasted better than the below-ground filtered variety. But Root did not notice the sweetness; Holly was gone, Artemis was dead, Butler was dead and it was his fault. He had failed. He wanted to disappear. He wanted to die. He wanted to cry. He wanted scream and shout his rage.

Root found himself curled in a ball, on the roof, sobbing. _Get up!_ said his core of steel. The part that made him a good commander. _You are an LEP officer. There is more at stake here than your personal grieving and guilt. Time enough to cry later._

_In a minute. I'll get up in a minute. I just need sixty seconds._ Root struggled desperately to find the numbness he had felt on the journey here. Numbness would have better than the pain; anything was better than how he felt then.

'How touching,' said a voice. Robotic and familiar.

Root did not even look up. 'Koboi. Have you come to gloat? Does murder make you happy?'

'Hmm?' said the voice, seriously considering the question. 'You know, it does. It actually does make me happy.'

Root wiped the last tears from his eyes. He would not cry again until Koboi was behind bars.

'What do you want?' he asked, rising from the concrete roof. Hovering at head height was a small bio-bomb. This model was spherical, about the size of a melon, and equipped with a plasma screen. Opal's happy features were plastered across the monitor.

'Oh, I just followed you from the chute because I wanted to see what total despair looks like. It's not very fetching, is it?'

For a few moments the screen displayed Root's own distraught face, before flashing back to Opal.

'Just detonate, and be damned,' growled Root. The bio-bomb rose a little way, slowly circling Root's head.

'Not just yet. I think there's a spark of hope in you yet. So, I would like to extinguish that. In a moment I will detonate the bio-bomb. However it is what happens after detonation that's important.'

Root's law-enforcer curiosity was piqued in spite of the circumstances. 'What happens then, Koboi? Don't tell me; world domination.'

Koboi laughed, the volume distorting the sound though the bomb's micro-speakers. 'World domination? You make it sound so unattainable. The first step is simplicity itself. All I have to do is put humans in contact with the People.'

Root felt his own troubles instantly slip away. 'Are you mad? Why would you do that?'

Opal's features lost their merry cast. 'Because the LEP imprisoned me. They studied me like an animal in a cage, and now we shall see how they like it. There will be a war, and I will supply the humans with the weapons to win. And after they have won, my chosen nation will be the most powerful on Earth. And I, inevitably, will become the most powerful person in that nation.'

Root could feel his face growing red in anger as he yelled. 'All this for a childish pixie's revenge?'

Seeing Root's discomfort cheered Opal immediately. 'Oh no, I'm not a pixie any more.' Koboi slowly unwound the bandages circling her head to reveal two surgically rounded humanoid ears. 'I'm one of the Mud People now. I intend to be on the winning side. And my new daddy has an engineering company. And that company is sending down a probe.'

'What probe?' screamed Root. 'What company?'

Opal wagged a finger. 'Oh no, enough explaining. I want you to die desolate and ignorant.' For one moment her face lost its false merriment and Root could see the hatred and madness in her huge eyes. 'You cost me a year of my life, Root. A year of a brilliant life. My time is too special to be wasted, especially answering to pathetic organizations like the LEP. Soon I will never have to answer to anyone again.'

Opal raised one hand into camera shot; it was clutching a small remote. She pressed the red button. And, as everyone knows, the red button can mean only one thing. Root had milliseconds to come up with a plan. The monitor fizzled out, and a green light on the missile's console winked red. The signal had been received. Detonation was imminent.

Root jumped up and swung his helmet at the bomb like a bat. He put his full weight behind the swing which shattered the helmet, on impact, but it had the desired effect of sending the bomb flying away from him.

Root turned in the opposite direction and flipped his wing control to rise, reaching for the skies. The bomb exploded sending deadly blue light in all directions. Ants and spiders hopped once and then their tiny hearts froze. Root streamlined his body, willing the wings to carry him faster. It was a race now. Had he gained enough distance to outrun the bio-bomb?

Root felt his lips dragged back across his teeth. G-force rippled the skin on his cheeks. He was counting on the fact that the bio-bomb's active agent was light; this meant that it could be focused to a certain diameter. Koboi would not want to draw attention to her device by wiping out a city block. Root alone was her target.

Root felt the light swipe his toes. A dreadful feeling of nothingness crept up his leg before the magic banished it.

Suddenly the light dissipated, flashed out, leaving only a dozen spiralling flares in its wake. Root had outrun the deadly light. His legs felt weakened, but the sensation would recede shortly. Now he had to return to the Lower Elements and somehow warn the council what Opal was planning.

It was then that he felt a sharp pain in his right hand. He looked down to find a large piece of the shattered helmet deeply imbedded in the palm of his hand. He had no idea how he had not noticed it before. He supposed he had been too focused on escaping the bio-bomb that everything else was blocked out. Now, however, the pain was unbearable. It made him want to throw up. He pulled the shrapnel from his hand, wincing at the pain. Blue sparks healed the cut quickly but not before the blood from his wound had coated his hand and uniform in blood.

Root glanced down at the roof. Nothing remained now to suggest that he'd ever been there, except the remains of his helmet, which were shattered beyond repair. LEP helmets were composed of a rigid polymer that was almost impossible to damage; the bio-bomb must have been diamond inlayed to have done so damage. With the helmet destroyed it would no longer be transmitting Root's bio-readings. As far as the LEP or Opal Koboi was concerned, Commander Root's helmet was no longer broadcasting his heart or respiratory rate. He was officially dead and being dead had possibilities.

Something caught Root's eye. Far below, in the centre of a cluster of maintenance buildings, several humans were beginning to converge on one hut. With his birds-eye view, Root could see that the hut's roof had been blown out. There were two figures lying in the roof timbers. One was huge, a veritable giant. The other closer to his own size, a boy. Artemis and Butler? Could they have survived?

Root threw his legs up behind him, diving steeply towards the crash site. He did not shield, conserving his magic. It looked likely that every spark of healing power he possessed would be needed, so he would have to trust to speed and his revolutionary suit, even though a large part of in was now covered in blood, to keep him hidden.

It was vital that Root got Artemis, if he was alive, away from there. Opal could have spies anywhere, and a back-up plan just waiting to spring into deadly operation. It was doubtful whether they could cheat death again.

Root flew in through the hole in the shed roof and landed next to the bodies. It was Artemis and Butler alright and both were breathing. As he crouched down, Artemis began to come round; his eyelids flickered and then opened. He was clearly badly injured.

Root leaned forward and Artemis' eyes widened in fear. Before he could move, Root had placed his hand on Artemis' chest and began to heal him. Artemis fell unconscious again as the magic healed him. It was lucky Artemis had not moved because he was already bleeding internally and any attempt to move would have made one of his broken ribs puncture through his chest. Steam vented from Artemis' shuddering body as the magic fixed his injures.

As soon as Artemis was healed, Root checked Butler was OK. Butler had only a few small injures that did not need magical attention and would regain consciousness soon.

Root wrapped himself around the boy so that as much of him as possible was shielded from view. He had to get him away from here. Ideally, he would have taken Butler too, but he was too bulky to be shielded by Root's small body. The bodyguard was a man after his own heart and a born solder that could look after himself, but Artemis had to be protected. Firstly because he was undoubtedly the prime target, and secondly because he needed Artemis' devious brain to help him defeat Opal Koboi. If Opal intended to join the world of men, Artemis was the ideal foil for her genius.

Root locked his fingers behind Artemis' back, hoisting his limp body into an upright position. Artemis' head lolled on Root's shoulder, and he could feel Artemis' breath on his cheek. It was regular. Good.

Root bent his legs until his knees cracked. He would need all the leverage he could get to make their escape. Outside, the voices grew closer, and he felt the walls shake as someone inserted a key in the door.

'Goodbye Butler and good luck,' he whispered. 'I'll be back for you.'

The bodyguard groaned once, as if he had heard. Root didn't like to leave him but he had no choice. It was either just Artemis or no one, and Butler himself would thank Root for what he was doing.

Root gritted his teeth, tensed every muscle in his body, and opened the throttle wide on his wings. He took off out of the shed like a dart from a blowpipe, kicking up a fresh cloud of dust in his wake. Even if someone had been staring straight at him, all they would have seen was a dust and sky-coloured blur, with possibly one loafered shoe poking out. But that must have been their eyes playing tricks, because shoes couldn't fly. Could they?

* * *

**E37, the Lower Elements**

Foaly could not believe what was happening. His eyes were sending information to his brain, but his brain refused to accept it. Because if he were to accept this information, he would have to believe that Julius Root had just shot his own officer, Foaly's best friend, Holly Short and that he was now attempting to escape to the surface. This was completely impossible, though not everybody was equally reluctant to accept this.

The centaur's mobile tech shuttle had been commandeered by Internal Affairs. This operation now fell under their jurisdiction because an LEP commander was suspected of a crime. All LEP personnel had been ejected from the shuttle but Foaly was allowed to stay simply because he was the only one able to operate the surveillance equipment.

Commander Ark Sool was an LEP gnome who went after suspect police fairies. Sool was unusually tall and thin for a gnome like a giraffe in a baboon skin. His dark hair was slicked straight back in a no-nonsense style and his fingers and ears bolstered none of the golden adornments generally so beloved by the gnome families. Ark Sool was the highest ranked gnome officer in Internal Affairs. He believed the LEP was basically a bunch of loose cannons presided over by a maverick… and now that maverick had gone rogue, apparently having killed one of his own officers. Julius Root may once have been a decorative commander but now he was nothing more than a criminal, who would be brought to justice.

'Play the video again, centaur,' he instructed, tapping the worktop with his cane. Most annoying.

'We've looked at this a dozen times,' protested Foaly, "I don't see the point."

Sool silenced him with a glare from his red-rimmed eyes. 'You don't see the point? I don't see where that's an important factor in the current equation. You, Mister Foaly, are here to press buttons, not to offer opinions. Commander Root placed far too much value on your opinions, and I won't be taking advice from him any time soon.'

Foaly swallowed the dozen or so acidic responses that were queuing on his tongue. If he were excluded from this operation now, he could do nothing to help Julius. Despite all the teasing and arguments beneath it all, Julius and Foaly were good friends, all be it friends who enjoyed driving each other mad.

'Play the video. Yes sir.'

Foaly cued the video from E37. It was damning stuff. Julius and Holly hovered around General Scalene for several moments. They appeared to be quite agitated. Then, for some reason, incredible as it sounded, Julius shot Holly with some kind of incendiary bullet. At this point they lost all video feeds from both helmets.

'Back the tape up twenty seconds,' ordered Sool, leaning in close to the monitor. He poked his cane into the plasma screen. 'What's that?'

'Careful with the cane,' said Foaly. 'These screens are expensive. I get them from Atlantis.'

'Answer the question, centaur. What is that?' Sool prodded the screen twice, just to show how little he cared about Foaly's gizmos. The Internal Affairs commander was pointing to a slight shimmer on Holly's chest.

'I'm not sure,' admitted Foaly. 'It could be heat distortion, or maybe equipment failure or perhaps just a glitch. I'll run some tests.'

Sool nodded. 'Run your tests, though I don't expect you'll find anything. Root was a bad egg - simple as that. He was probably rotten from the start just like his brother. I always believed the council made a mistake promoting him so young; especially when you consider his family. This proves I was right. Now he has killed one of our most promising young officers and on the verge of her becoming the first female manger as well.'

Foaly knew he should bite his tongue, but he had to defend Julius. 'Isn't this all a bit convenient? First we lose sound, so we don't know what was said. Then there's this fuzzy patch that could be anything, and now we're expected to believe that the best commander the LEP ever had just shot his officer - an officer he had always protected and championed. Julius was never anything like his brother so his family has nothing to do with this and don't you dare pretend you cared about Holly. You hated her and have constantly tried to get her removed from the LEP.'

Sool only smiled at Foaly's outburst; a smile full of mockery. It was a smile of a predator, that of a shark that has scented blood. 'I admit I was dubious of Miss Short to begin with and the Fowl cases only increased that sense of apprehension at her place in the LEP. However, I was more than glad to be proven wrong. Holly Short was a great asset to the LEP and will be surely missed. As for Root, he comes from a bad family, you can't deny it.' Foaly opened his mouth to protest but Sool cut him off.

'I see your point about how it was all too convenient however. Nice to see your thinking on some level but let's stick to our respective jobs, eh? You build the machinery and I operate it. For example, these new Neutrinos that our field personnel are armed with?'

'Yes, what about them?' said Foaly suspiciously.

'They are personalized to each officer, am I right? Nobody else can fire them and each shot is registered?'

'That is correct,' admitted Foaly, all too aware where this was leading.

Sool waved his cane like an orchestra conductor. 'Well then, surely all we have to do is check Commander Root's weapons log to see if he fired a shot at the precise time indicated on the video. If he did, then the film is authentic, and Julius Root did indeed murder his officer, regardless of what we can or can not hear.'

Foaly ground his horsy teeth. Of course it made perfect sense. He had thought of it half an hour ago, and he already knew what the cross-referencing would reveal. He pulled up Root's weapons log, reading out the relevant passage.

'Weapon registered at zero nine forty, HMT. Six pulses at zero nine fifty-six, and then one level-two pulse fired at zero nine fifty-eight.'

Sool slapped the cane into his palm in triumph. 'One level-two pulse fired at zero nine fifty-eight. Exactly right. Whatever else happened in that chute, Root fired on his officer.'

Foaly leapt out of his specially tailored office chair. 'But a level-two pulse couldn't cause such a big explosion. It practically caved in the entire access tunnel.'

'Which is why Root isn't in custody right now,' said Sool. 'It will take weeks to clear out that tunnel. I've had to send a Retrieval team though E1, in Tara. They will have to travel aboveground to Paris and pick up his trail from there.'

'But what about the explosion itself?'

Sool grimaced, as though Foaly's question was a bitter nugget in an otherwise delicious meal. 'Oh, I'm sure there's an explanation, centaur - Combustible gas, malfunction or just bad luck. We'll figure that out. For now, my priority, and _yours_, is to bring Commander Root back here for trial. I want you to liaise with the Retrieval team. Feed them constant updates on Root's position.'

Foaly nodded without enthusiasm. Root was still wearing his helmet and the LEP helmet could verify his identity and relay a constant stream of diagnostic information back to Foaly's computers. They had no sound or video, but there was plenty of information to track Root, wherever he might go in or under the world. At the moment, Root was in Germany. His heart rate was elevated, even more than usual for him, but otherwise he was OK.

_Why did you run, Julius?_ Foaly asked his absent friend silently. _If you're innocent, why did you run?_

'Tell me where Commander Root is now,' demanded Sool. The centaur maximized the live feed from Root's helmet on the plasma screen.

'He's still in Germany – Munich, to be precise. He's stopped moving now. Maybe he will decide to come home.'

Sool frowned. 'I seriously doubt it, centaur. He's a bad egg, through and through.'

Foaly ground his teeth. Good manners dictated that only a friend referred to another fairy by species, and Sool was no friend of his. Or anyone's.

'We can't say that for sure,' said Foaly through his clenched teeth.

Sool leaned even closer to the plasma screen, a slow smile stretching his tight skin.

'Actually, centaur, you're wrong there. I think we can safely say for sure that Commander Root won't be coming back. Recall the Retrieval team immediately.'

Foaly checked Root's screen. The life signs from his helmet were all flatlining. One second he was stressed but alive, and the next he was gone. No heartbeat, no brain activity, no temperature reading. He couldn't have simply taken off the helmet, as there was an infrared connection between each LEP officer and helmet. No, Julius was dead, and it hadn't been natural causes.

Foaly felt the tears brimming on his eyelids… Not Root too.

'Recall the Retrieval team? Are you insane, Sool? We have to find Root. Find out what happened.' Sool was unaffected by Foaly's outburst. If anything, he appeared to enjoy it.

'Root was a traitor and he was obviously in collusion with the goblins. Somehow his nefarious plan backfired and he has been killed. I want you to activate the remote incinerator in his helmet immediately, and we'll close the book on a rogue commander.'

Foaly was aghast. 'Activate the remote incinerator! I can't do that.'

Sool rolled his eyes. 'Again with the opinions. You don't have authority here, you just obey it.'

'But I'll have a satellite picture in thirty minutes,' protested the centaur. 'We can wait that long, surely.'

Sool elbowed past Foaly to the keyboard. 'Negative. You know the regulations. No bodies are left exposed for the humans to find. It's a tough rule, I know, but necessary.'

'The helmet could have malfunctioned!' said Foaly, grasping at straws.

'Is it likely that all the life-sign readings could have flatlined at the same moment through equipment failure?'

'No,' admitted Foaly.

'And just how unlikely is it?'

'About one chance in ten million,' said the technical adviser miserably.

Sool picked his way around the keyboard. 'If you don't have the stomach for it, centaur, I'll do it myself.' He entered his password and then detonated the incinerator in Root's helmet. On a rooftop in Munich, Julius' helmet dissolved in a pool of acid and, in theory, so did Julius' body.

'There,' said Sool, satisfied. 'He's gone, and now we can all sleep a little easier.'

_Not me_, thought Foaly, staring forlornly at the screen. _It will be a very long time before I sleep easy again._

* * *

**Fowl Manor**

Artemis Fowl woke from a sleep haunted by nightmares. In his dreams, strange, red-eyed creatures had ripped open his chest with scimitar tusks and dined on his heart. He sat up on a stone floor. His hands quickly ran up and down his body searching for broken bones; there were none. Strange. Artemis took several deep, shuddering breaths, pumping oxygen through his brain. 'Assess the situation,' Butler always told him. 'If you find yourself in unfamiliar territory, become familiar with it before opening your mouth. Ten seconds of observation could save your life.'

Artemis looked around, his eyelids fluttering like camera shutters. Absorbing every detail. He was startled to find that he was sat on the driveway of Fowl Manner. His parents must have already left for the spa in West Meath because he could see no sign of them. Why would he have been brought here? The kidnapper would send the ransom demand to Fowl manner, but they wouldn't have brought him. He filed the question away.

Not far from him, a man sat, hunched on the ground. He cradled his head in both hands and he looked utterly broken. It was the same man who had leant over him in Munich. There was still blood on the man's clothes but his hand was now clean. Artemis cleared his throat.

'Why did you bring me here? What do you want from me?' The man jerked upright. It became immediately clear that this was no ordinary man. In fact, he appeared to be belong to a totally different species.

'Pointed ears,' Artemis noted, with surprising composure. 'Prosthetic or real?' Root almost smiled.

'Typical Artemis Fowl. Always looking for options. My ears are real, as you very well know. Well, _knew_.' Artemis was silent for several moments, processing the wealth of information in those few sentences.

'Real pointy ears? Then you're another species. Not human. Possibly a fairy.' Root nodded.

'I am a fairy. Actually, an elf. I'm also what you'd call a leprechaun too, but that's just a job.'

'All fairies speak English, do they?'

'We speak all languages. The gift of tongues. It's part of our magic.'

Artemis knew these revelations should send his world spinning on its axis but he found himself accepting the strange man's every word. It was as though he had always suspected the existence of fairies and this was simply confirmation, although strangely, he could not remember ever having even thought about fairies before this day.

'And you claim to know me? Personally or from some kind of surveillance?'

'We've known you for years now, Artemis. You made first contact and we've been keeping an eye on you ever since.'

Artemis was slightly startled.

'I made first contact?'

'Yes. December, two years ago. You kidnapped one of my officers.'

'Is this your revenge? That explosive device?'

A horrible thought struck the Irish boy.

'And what about Butler? Is he dead?'

Root did his best to answer all of these questions.

'It is revenge, but not mine. And Butler is alive. I could only get one of you to safety and Butler can look after himself. I had to get you to safety before another attempt was made on your life. Look, can we continue this conversation inside the house? We're in a lot of danger out in the open like this.'

Artemis was startled by this request but his powers at reading body language told him that this was the truth.

'Yes, of course,' he said, getting to his feet and walking up to the front door. He pulled the key for the door that he kept on himself at all times out of his pocket and opened the door. As they both entered, he asked, 'If you tried to save me, does that make us friends now?'

'I'd call it more a working relationship,' Root shrugged.

All this was slightly confusing, even for a genius. Artemis sat down on one of the chairs in the large entrance hall and motioned for Root to take a seat as well. Resting his temples against pointed fingers and closing his eyes, Artemis said, 'You'd better tell me everything, from the beginning and leave nothing out.'

So Root did. He told Artemis how he had kidnapped Holly then released her at the last moment. He told him how they had journeyed to the Arctic to rescue his father and how they had foiled a goblin rebellion, bankrolled by Opal Koboi. He recounted how Artemis and Holly had journeyed to Chicago to steal back the C Cube, a super computer constructed by Artemis from pirated fairy technology. Finally, in a small and cracked voice, he told of Holly's death and Opal Koboi's mysterious plot to bring the fairy and human worlds together.

Artemis sat perfectly still, absorbing hundreds of incredible facts. His brow was slightly creased, as if the information were difficult to digest. Finally, when his brain had organised the data, he opened his eyes.

'Very well,' he said. 'I don't remember any of this, but I believe you. I accept that we humans have fairy neighbours below the planet's surface.'

'Just like that?'

Artemis' lip curled. 'Hardly. I have taken your story and cross-referenced it with the facts as I know them. The only other scenario which could explain everything that has happened, up to and including your own bizarre appearance, is a convoluted conspiracy theory involving the Russian Mafia and a crack team of plastic surgeons. Hardly likely. But your fairy story fits, right down to something that you could not know about, Commander Root.'

'Which is?' asked Root in an annoyed tone.

'After my alleged mind wipe, I discovered mirrored contact lenses in my own eyes and in Butler's. Investigation revealed that I myself had ordered the lenses, though I had no memory of the fact. I suspect that I ordered then to cheat your _mesmer_.'

Root nodded. It made sense. Fairies had the power to mesmerize humans, but eye contact was part of the trick, coupled with a mesmeric voice. Mirrored contact lenses would leave the subject completely in control, while still pretending to be under the _mesmer_.

'The only reason for this would be if I had planted a trigger somewhere; something that would cause my fairy memories to come rushing back. But what?'

'I have no idea,' said Root. 'We found an unopened email on a data site with videos of your memories and a time capsule but we destroyed them both. I assumed that seeing me would trigger recall.' Artemis smiled in a very annoying way, as one would to a small child who has just suggested that the moon was made of cheese.

'No, Commander. I would guess that your Mister Foaly's mind-wiping technology is an advanced version of the memory-suppressant drugs being experimented with by various governments. The brain, you see, is a complex instrument; if it can be convinced that something did not happen, it will invent all kinds of scenarios to maintain that illusion. Nothing can change its mind, so to speak. Even if the conscious accepts something, the mind wipe will have convinced the subconscious otherwise. So no matter how convincing you are, you cannot convert my altered subconscious. My subconscious probably believes that you are a hallucination or a miniature spy. No, the only way my memories could be returned to me would be if my subconscious could not present a reasonable argument – say if the one person whom I trust completely presented me with irrefutable evidence.'

Root ground his teeth in annoyance. Artemis was the only person, besides Foaly and Mulch, who could wind up Root that easily and he had a short temper as it was. Artemis was a child who treated everyone else like children. For someone used to being in control and respected, it was almost unbearable.

'And who is this one person whom you trust?'

Artemis smiled genuinely for the first time since Munich. 'Why, myself, of course.

'Come,' said Artemis. 'Opal Koboi sounds like the sort of person who will have a back up plan. We must go to the study then I can track her approach on camera. I still have those hi-resolution cameras, so even if she is shielding I can see her on screen.'

Artemis rose and Root followed him up the main staircase and along the corridor to the study. By now, Artemis had recovered sufficiently for his natural curiosity to surface. So as they walked he asked 'Why did you bring me to Foal Manor? Would it have been easier and safer to tack me to one of those Fairy Forts you mentioned?'

'I thought it would be safer here because no fairy can enter a human dwelling without permission. So Koboi can't reach us here. Also, until I have a plan for what to do next, it's better to avoid other fairies because I'm a wanted criminal until I can clear my name.'

They reached the study and entered. Root sat down and Artemis began fiddling with the CCTV cameras until they took a still shot every three seconds, thereby allowing him to see any approaching fairies who may be shielding.

'So tell me, Commander Root. If all I am to the fairy People is a threat, why save me?'

'It's our nature,' Root replied burying his head in his hands. 'And I promised Holly. Plus of course, I need you to help me find Opal Koboi. We've done it before, so we can do it again.'

Artemis didn't look up from the monitors. 'So first you mind-wipe me, and now you need me?'

'Yes Artemis. Gloat all you like. The mighty LEP needs your help again.'

'Of course there is the matter of my fee,' said Artemis, pressing, to Root what appeared to be, a random button. Root rounded on him, glad to have someone to vent his anger at.

'Your fee? Are you serious? After all the fairy People have done for you? Can't you just do one good thing in your life?'

'Obviously you elves are an emotional race. Humans are slightly more business-minded. Here are the facts: you are a fugitive from justice, on the run from a murdering pixie genius. You have no funds and no resources. I am the only one who can help you track down this Opal Koboi. I think that's worth a few bars of anyone's gold.'

Root actually growled. 'Hear are some facts for you; Koboi will not stop if you don't help me. She will eventually kill _you_ and like you say, Mud Boy - I don't have any resources.'

Artemis shrugged. 'Now I know about the threat she poses to me, I can protect myself without helping you. Besides, I'm prepared to accept your word on the gold. If you can guarantee me one metric ton of gold from your hostage fund, I will devise a plan to defeat this Opal Koboi.'

Root was in a hole and he knew it. There was no doubt that Artemis could give him the edge over Opal, but it galled him to pay this particular human anything. 'And what if Koboi defeats us?'

'If Koboi defeats and presumably murders us both, then you can consider the debt null and void.'

'Great,' growled Root. 'It would almost be worth it.' He got up from the chair and walked to Artemis' side.

'You know Artemis, you were right. We should never have mind-wiped you and not just because I need your help now. You said if we mind-wiped, you would turn back into the heartless monster who kidnapped one of my officers. I thought that with your father back in your life and Butler by your side, that wouldn't happen. I guess I was wrong. You're exactly how you were when we met: a greasy Mud Boy who doesn't care about anyone but himself. Is that really how you want to be remembered?'

Artemis' features remained static, but below the surface his emotions were in turmoil. Of course he was right to ask for a fee (it would be stupid not to) but even asking had made him feel guilty. It was this idiotic new-found conscience. His mother seemed able to activate it at will and this fairy creature could do it too. He would have to keep a tighter check on his emotions.

"Well, _Mister Consultant,_" Root said, making it sound like an insult, "What's our first move?"

"There are only two of us and neither of us are very tall," replied Artemis, not hesitating at all, "We therefore need reinforcements. As we speak, Butler will be making his way here. He may only be a few minutes away."

Artemis turned on his mobile, speed-dialling Butler's phone. A recorded message told him that the customer he was trying to reach was not available. He declined the offer to try again. Instead, he dialled his home number, despite the fact he was at home, as Butler would check all messages sent to Fowl Manor the moment he had his phone on.

"Butler," said Artemis to the recorder, "You are well, I hope? I myself am fine. Listen very carefully to what I have to tell you and believe me, every word is true…"

Artemis proceeded to summarise the day's events into the phone.

"I suggest we stock up on essentials and proceed to a safe house. I look forward to seeing you soon."

Artemis terminated the call, thought for a moment, and then rang Juliet Butler. She did not answer so he left a message, again summarizing what had happened and asking for her help. As he finished the call, Root jumped and pointed to one of the monitors.

"Opal Koboi has arrived."

Artemis looked and saw that she was walking up the main driveway, flanked by the Brill brothers.

"Don't worry," Artemis said confidently, "I won't invite them in, so we're safe for now."

Root looked worried.

"Aren't we?"

* * *

**AN – I think Sool would not care whether it was Holly or Root who fired the shot and would simply try to further his own career, which is why I had him say that he was saddened by Holly's death. I also left out the part of the story where Butler woke up because that would be exactly the same as in the book. I hope you enjoyed it. All hail the Beta (my sister). All mistakes are my own, but I'm blaming my Beta anyway, despite the fact she never read the book! *evil cackle* Please review. (Mentioned Beta – me! – is now killing Magic10 slowly and painfully. Yay for sibling rivalry!) **


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